Vents are currently available in various configurations. One such configuration is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,472,748 to inventor Labus. In this patent, circular grills are positioned in openings in a front plate. The grills are formed from flat sheet metal. Each grill includes flat blades that appear to be integrally formed between an annular circumferential flange and that are oriented at an angle. The grill flange is supported in its respective opening by small tab-like flanges. The front plate and flanges also appear to be formed from sheet metal. In an alternative embodiment, each grill is supported by a shaft that is oriented perpendicular to the plane of the grill below its underside surface and connected to a rod which is further supported by a flange. The flange is attached to the underside surface of the front plate. Neither embodiment includes a damper or other mechanism for partially or totally restricting air flow.
There are a number of disadvantages to this type of vent. Sheet metal components are inherently hard to manufacture and can be expensive and time consuming to assemble. Further, because sheet metal rusts, over time, the circular grills of Labus will likely become frozen in position or, at least, difficult to adjust. In addition, vent configurations, such as Labus, that use flat blades to deflect air flow often do not provide optimal airflow directional control. When exiting air hits the angled blades, it tends to bounce off at an angle equal to its angle of incident. If the blades are angled significantly from vertical, there is a tendency for the airflow to then bounce off of the adjacent blade in the opposite direction, thus defeating the directional flow control goal of the directional blades.
A need exists for an improved vent that includes a grill as well as a mechanism that allows airflow to be partially or completely closed off. The optimal vent would also include improved airflow directional control by allowing the blades to move in a 360 degree circle and by effectively angling the airflow away from vertical. Such an ideal vent should be formed of a minimal number of elements, easy to manufacture, easy to install, and cost effective to assemble. The present invention is directed to fulfilling this need.